Female Popstars: are they our role models?

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Female Popstars: are they our role models?

Female Popstars: are they our role models?

by :

Emma Douty

Everyone has a favourite – Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna – to name just a few. It is undeniable that these women can sing – but when did it stop being about the music and more about the image? And is that image something we girls should aspire to copy?

You’ve probably heard about the story when Rihanna was kicked off a field in the UK while shooting her music video for ‘We Found Love’, because the farmer did not approve of her being topless on his land. If not, it’s likely that you’ve seen Katy Perry’s most recent album cover for ‘Teenage Dream’, where she is shown to be nude with only a few wisps of cloud covering her modesty.

When did everyone become so naked?! Rihanna and Katy Perry are without a doubt beautiful women, and very talented, too. So I don’t see why they feel they should take off their clothes, or wear very few of them, in order to look and feel attractive; because they already are. Worse, young girls who look up to them think that they ought to do the same. In a time when women are still fighting for equality, surely this sets us back – if we are objectifying ourselves by exposing so much of our bodies, then clearly men will be objectifying us too.

These popstars justify their latest songs, videos, and outfits by saying that they are ‘expressing their sexuality,’ which is all very well. Except, there is more to women than just sexuality. There is more to be expressed than our image: perfect make-up, stylish clothes, great hair. We have beauty and strengths in so many other ways.

It’s these ways in which yes, we should be inspired by female artists today. Those women who have worked hard to get where they are today; the ones who followed their dreams. Those women who are independent and fierce, who give us music that makes us wanna dance and be happy. We can aspire to be like these women. Only, we’ll do it while keeping our clothes on.

Comments

I am not a fan of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna and those singers and i will never be.Besides that I don't like that genre of music,i didn't find them inspiring even before they became that kind of models for girls. There is nothing interesting in their songs and there is nothing that you can somehow ''learn'' from them that is actually positive. I have nothing against their fans,I just simply don't admire them.

I am a huge Gaga fan,and I find her really nice?She is really talented and really smart as I can see.I like Katy and Rihanna too.I would definietly consider them as my rolemodels because I like interesting celebrities.They party and stuff like that but which celebrity doesn't?Anyways,my rolemodels are Miley and Demi from music world.They both seem like really strong persons and I have been their fan since I was six. I don't mind stuff that Miley is doing right now.

I doubt Demi would change in a bad way. I'm pretty sure she'd stay the same. :) Well yes, it's true that there are a lot of inspirational singers. Every artists has their own style on how they make music, and also every people has different taste.

If Demi changes her style I will still listen her music. I just hope her won't take off her clothes to attract people so as to sell more and more albums like Miley's doing. She is now fat but beautiful no need to be skinny. She's beautiful and famous the way she is.

Well for me, I think female pop stars are role models. Every person
look up to an artist. Me? My role model is Demi Lovato - She's amazing. She doesn't always take off her clothes - Well probably she took off her clothes on her cover album - DEMI BUT! She didn't show her parts.

On an interview at Ellen. Before, Demi looked up to skinny models on magazine covers. She wanted to be like them and to become very thin. She starved herself, and begin to become unhealthy. Demi realized that it's very wrong. Demi wanted to become a role model, and she encourages young people not to be like those skinny models that they see. She always tell us, her Lovatics, no matter what shape, or size we have, we are beautiful.

Demi is very healthy now, and I'm very proud of her. I look up to her, and she inspires me everyday. When I'm alone, I just turn her music on, and I'd be fine for sure ;)

Hi Elouise, I really enjoyed your comment - funny, interesting and thoughtful. I think pop stars, especially female ones, get a lot of criticism - about their clothes, their bodies, their private lives etc. It's great to hear someone who sees that they are just human, and that being a good role model is much more than looking perfect and having money. Now I know a bit about Demi Lovato. Thank you for sharing!

hi dear lavender i'm not completly from iran i was raised in Australia and my grandma is Australian
lavaender where r u from? we have the whole summer off and school will start in almost 2 weeks
how was school didi u like it ? what grade are u going to?

Hi Saba. Oh I see. I'm from Vietnam very far from your country. I know little about Iran. Well I guess now we get used going to the school every morning. I don't like my school but I love my schoolmates.

Hi Saba, it's ok. I haven't known anyone coming from Iran. I just heard about it on TV news. So I'm glad to know you.
Yes your point of view is good.
How is your week? Have you gone back to school?
Ps: Today was my first day at school after 2 months off.

hi lavender i used to think of miley cyrus as my role model a few years ago but with her bad actions and disgusting look now i absoloutley hate her but i still like selena gomez but i don't consider any of the celebreties my role model any more

Hi Saba. I agree with you. well miley used to be a kind of good girls. i'm afraid what she's doing now will make teenagers think that we have to go wild and go crazy and break the rules to prove ourselves.
Luckily we still have Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. I hope they won't follow Miley in the future. They are actually amazing and famous just the way they are now.
I don't consider the celebrities my role model either but Taylor inspires me a lot since she's working hard and she has many creative ideas in her music and her videos.

This article reminds me of MILEY CYRUS. She used to be an idol, a model for teenage girls. But now she becomes too different. I know everybody has to grow up, but following Rihanna or Katy Perry to wear nude bikini is not a good way. She is so young for do unsuitable gestures to appeal men. I like Miley, I like her song, she is a talented singer, I know she has a perfect body...but Miley please don't be 'good girl gone bad'.......!!!
Ps: Thank you for the very interesting article.

;Lady Gaga is the symbol of the creativity ; Rihanna is the symbol of beauty and her voice and the songs are so great but better than Katy Perry is Beyonce. This divas are the idol for many young female artists

Seems my friends are still blinded about Lady Gaga and Rihanna and Katy Perry. I mean... like the post said - What's the need to wear less clothes to look good.
In India, the national dress for girls is 'sari'. And trust me, when somebody with a gorgeous figure and features like Katy Perry wears that (I'm talking cause my elder cousin really has those looks) - there's no other definition of beauty. A good decent thing is simply breath taking.

And here, also think on this - what is the difference between women/girls who are attractive to those who are beautiful?? Try commenting on that.

Hi Science everywhere! Personally I think an attractive girl or women is no need to very beautiful. A clever and having good skills women can make everybody stop for a moment to listen to her whenever she has some words to say. In fact I have some girl friends that I like them a lot, I didn't find them beautiful at first. But when I know them for a long time and get close to them I discovered some pretty figures on their faces. It's weird right?
Nowadays in Asia there are a lot of girls who are obsessed with the appearance. More and more girls get plastic surgery then post their perfect pictures on the internet. Those girls are beautiful and pretty but I admit I don't find them really attractive, I get boring it's like they have the same beauty the same face.

Hello everyone!
Thank you for improving this question! I am a representative of the young people , but the "old-fashioned" brought up. I'm not a fan of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rihanna., although I like their some songs. Many adults believe that if a group of young people look up to these stars, all teenagers are like that. But they are wrong, because everyone is different and everyone has different
fancies. For example, I prefer to listen to classical music and Sting's songs. It is on the one hand and on the other hand, stars can be an stimulus for beauty. They can show that all women are beautiful and they just should to work with yourself. Moreover, their songs can raise people's spirits and the scale of positive. So, thanks for your perfect article!
Malika

Yeah I totally agree with you.....Katy Perry's father wept in one of her concerts because all the young people there were like worshiping her and not God.this made him weep bitterly.................................................... even though they have thousands of fans millions of people following them,they do these kinds of malpractices so people will love them more but NO! As a matter of fact,most people started disliking them....

I totally agree with you, those sigers don't need to take off their clothes at all!!! they just have to do what they have to do, that is just sing! and people will reconise their talent. Their voice all ready call peoples atention so why to do all that kind of things?! and if you think about it, only girls do that, why do they have to da it if boys don't ?! i'm not telling that ALL the pop singers do that but the most famous do it and that is terrible 4 the most important fans who want to be like them so... well that's it !

I think every thing has its price. It's good for women to show their body off. But when they do it all the time, men will get accustomed to that. And then when men see the women's skin or the parts of body women normally hide, they will get no feeling. That's why those singers who like wearing mini skirts, shorts, crop tops, now they have to find stronger ways to express their sexuality, such as wearing bikinis or transparent clothes. And for those singer who like to focus on their voice and wear clothes in a modesty way, just a tight dress they wear on some occasions made us feel they were so sexy. Adele, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez are ones of them. They are very famous no doubt.

I think so....That`s all true!!!...Rihanna,Katy Perry,Lady GaGa aren`t good models for young women,but they have a great voice..They ,and of course other singer such as Jennifer Lopez,Beyonce Chrstina Aguilera etc....,are great singers!!!And nice article!!!

İ like Rihanna. Rihanna is a very nice singer. She has a beautiful voice.Her songs give pleasure to people.
I listen to Katy Perry.İt is onderful lady.My favorite most is song ~Wide awake~
And Lady Gaga.....................
Lady Gaga is a fantastic singer.There's a strange dress her.But since it is separate from my style.
Then there is my favorite singers. For example, Adele, Selena Gomez , Demi Lovato, Beyonce , Carly Rae Jepsen , Justin Bieber and s on.
But my idol is Rihanna....It is not true?

I listen to Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry and they are one of my favorite singers, but I think they aren't a good role model for none, esp for teens, who are developing their minds and every famous and his acts can really influence teens' behavior. The three of them are excellent singers and amazing, but their private life has so many mistakes that their singing stays aside. I would really like that they dedicate themselves to singing and not to taking off clothes or taking drugs, drinking etc.
For me, the best singers who can have a positive influence on teens' life are Adele, Kate Nash, Sara Bareilles, Taylor Swift(but not her relation ships) and RBD. They are really worth of listening and the most important for them are songs and voice and they are aware about their influence on youngster's life, so they behave due to that.

It's me again :))))
So I've got something more to say, giving you an illustration from my personal experience. I've become very interested in Paramore band lately and the lead singer Hayley Williams has become my role model. However, I do NOT absent-mindedly copy her. Yes, I appreciate her talent and her style, but I'm not trying to become her 'twin'. So what actually I wanted to say is this: you may admire person's appearance/music/movies/whatever but you shouldn't just bury your own personality under celebrity's image. You won't be yourself then.

In my opinion Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna aren't good models for a young women. They've got their own style, which helps them to impress fans. It's just a scenic image, not a way to look in our everyday life.
I mean, that girls don't have to color their hair into blue, like it did Lady Gaga. Or wear weird clothes from the latest clips. It doesn't look attractive at all!!! So why should we copy them? I think, that everyone should have his own style. It's much better to be individual than unknown copy of celebrity)

i think we should not have set role models for ourselves because it's the very first step when people start relying on others they start liking what their role models like in other words they stanch thinking about what they really want to be and what they should be to get the attention, love, care, admiration etc of others which seems quite difficult to them. People make their way easy by copying the person who is at the top due to his/her own efforts. We should believe in ourselves and this is what we need to instead of being followers of others
STRIVE to be at your BEST in your own ways and LEAD your own life

To my point of view, we should not necessarily follow all the latest trends - in music, fashion or anywhere else. Everyone has a special character & a very different personality. So why should we try to look exactly like celebrities? Why should we copy someone else's style and behaviour? We have our own tastes and preferences. We r who we r, quoting Ke$ha. And nobody should impose their ideas on us.

I agree with you..Definitely right....Karty Perry or Lady Gaga have a splendid voice..but they aren't good models for young women....In my opinion all the artists don't live as human beings they have to be wired to be popular they have their own way to express that whatever it was .Their aim is to be different to get Billion viewers on the YouTube ..we can take the good things and leave the bad ones from them .Finally we can't live as artists and Vice Versa

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Our Magazine is written by young people from the UK. Each year we select a new group of bloggers, from the British Council’s language assistants, who share their experiences of learning languages and living abroad. The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the LearnEnglish Teens team.